Thursday, March 11, 2010

I'm Pretty Sure We're Actually Having A Baby

Yesterday's ultrasound and appointment was pretty much all good news, aside from a diagnosis of developing sinus infection. But miserable head cold aside, all is well- baby is still alive and growing and measuring right, and, thank GOODNESS, the subchorionic bleed is much, much smaller and more spread out this week. Last week, it was a giant, visible sac, bigger than the baby's sac, dense and black. This week, it was just vague grayish patches here and there. So it seems the baby aspirin most likely was the culprit, and hopefully a few more weeks of being off it and that sucker will totally clear up. Thank you thank you thank you.

I hadn't even realized what a worrisome thing it was (well, I knew I was worried, especially after researching it online, but I didn't know how worried the doctors were) until the practitioner burst into the room with a big smile, waving the ultrasound picture at me. "I'm so relieved!" she exclaimed. "With your history and all, I was just going to be so upset if this... you know, caused a problem." Um, yes. Indeed.

The cherry on the sundae was that during the ultrasound, I asked when the baby would first start to move. "You mean, so that you can feel it?" the tech asked. "No, just like, at what age would we start to see it on the sonogram," I clarified. "Well, it's just kind of coincidence if we happen to catch it this early- they do move a little, but not much yet at this stage," she shrugged. But then a second later, it kicked! Inasmuch as one can kick with little buds for legs, but it was definitely, totally a kick. There were several, in fact, and you know what? I did feel them, all the way to my toes. I could not stop smiling all day, even though my sinuses were throbbing and my throat felt like sandpaper and my nose is red and raw.

Because! Kicking! Nine weeks on Sunday!

The only baby-related bad news was that my progesterone is still only seventeen, which is the bare minimum my particular practice likes to see before putting you on supplements. That means it has gone up a bit since the initial draw, when it was fifteen something, but it's still awfully low compared to normal women's. Also, the corpus luteum (the thing that produces progesterone and keeps the yolk sac, which the baby survives off of, healthy until the placenta takes over) was pretty small and kind of barely hanging in there. It just has to stay functioning for about a week longer though, and then the placenta will be producing progesterone and the baby won't need me to do it anymore. Which is good, cause I suck at progesterone making. But, whatever. I managed to make enough this time- just barely!- to keep the baby going this far, so hopefully I can churn out enough to get us through the next week or so and then we should be golden.

I was in Disney so I missed the scare, but am happy to hear that things are resolving. Charlie's PT had a bleeding issue in her first trimester as well (I'm sorry, but I can't spell that correctly to save my life) and now she's happily at 25 weeks, so here's hoping you continue on that same path.